John E. Stith's Available Screen Rights

Screenplays Available

DAWN QUIXOTE An action comedy with a touch of romance. A meddling aunt drags a couple into danger when they discover who's killing the presidents of companies polluting the environment.

USER HOSTILE (with John Kennedy) A high-tech thriller.

DEEP QUARRY Adapted from Stith's science-fiction action novel.

BRUTE (with Kavin King) In an alien encounter, a retarded biker gets his wish: high IQ.

THE WAR OF THE WORLDS (with John Kennedy) From the H. G. Wells novel. High-tension, as The Age of Innocence meets Alien. The script was written when it appeared Wells' work would enter the public domain in 1996. Just recently the European Union has enacted copyright changes that will keep Wells in copyright in much of the world until 2016, and so Paramount's ownership of the exclusive rights will be extended to that date. Wells' work is currently in the public domain in the US, since the US was slow to become a Berne Convention signatory, but the strong possibility exists that US copyright law will change soon, bring Wells' work back into protected status here, too, until 2016. So, unless Paramount decides they like this version, it's not going to be produced any time soon.

Novels for which film rights are still available

(More information can be found in the bibliography.)

SCAPESCOPE: 1984 with some humor.

MEMORY BLANK: TOTAL RECALL meets OUTLAND.

DEATH TOLLS: Investigative reporter on Mars.

DEEP QUARRY: Private eye discovers buried--and occupied--alien starship.

REUNION ON NEVEREND: TRUE LIES meets STARGATE.

RECKONING INFINITY

REDSHIFT RENDEZVOUS

Short stories for which film & TV rights are still available

"Early Winter" Nuclear winter finds some technology still functioning.

"Last Words" Members of a first-contact team are turning up dead, but is the killer one of the aliens, or one of the team?

"Little Black Book" A time traveler dating women in the past finds he's being followed by the same man, in different time periods.

"Molar 2-7734" Frustrations with implanted communications.

"One Giant Step" How the dinosaurs died out.

"Planet Seven" Alien invaders want one of our planets.

"Purification Rites" Humans encounter a strange alien artifact.

"Simon Sidekick" A boy on the moon comes of age with the help of a computer intelligence.

"Time Travelers' Work is Never Done" A man gets caught in a time rut.

Film Projects Still Needing Funding

THE TENDERLOIN is a drama about a woman bringing up a daughter in the San Francisco Tenderloin (co-written with director-producer, A. Tana). North City Productions completed shooting, starring Jo Anderson. A VHS version exists, and the producer is now raising post-production funds to finish the film version. Email from parties interested in discussing financing the remaining stage could be sent to A. Tana.

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